Dylan's Beijing Bob

What happens when the world's greatest protest singer performs in the world's largest no-protest zone?

By

Ron Gluckman

Updated April 11, 2011 2:08 a.m. ET

Beijing

The times, he sang long ago, are a-changing. Yet when the world's greatest protest singer steps on stage in the world's biggest no-protest zone, the astonishing thing is that even after half a century, little has changed. The media assail the performer for not raising more of a ruckus, fans cheer songs few really understand, and purists complain about the sound system and ticket prices.